Telemedicine Coming Soon to a Pharmacy Near You: HealthSpot

HealthSpot was conceived by its CEO and Founder, Steve Cashman, in 2010. Steve has a technology background and was interested in providing convenient, high quality, low cost healthcare to the public. Steve designed HealthSpot’s Care4 Stations and currently has 3 stations built, one of which is undergoing a pilot study in Columbus, Ohio.

HealthSpot was conceived by its CEO and Founder, Steve Cashman, in 2010. Steve has a technology background and was interested in providing convenient, high quality, low cost healthcare to the public. Steve designed HealthSpot’s Care4 Stations and currently has 3 stations built, one of which is undergoing a pilot study in Columbus, Ohio.

HealthSpot has partnered with Central Ohio Primary Care Physicians (COPC) which is the second largest independant physician-owned group in the US. COPC has 6 physicians who are participating in the pilot study, providing care to patients and giving feedback to HealthSpot. Currently all doctors are primary care physicians, but in the future, specialists will be added as well.

The Care4 Station is a walk-in kiosk with a seat and monitor unit. There is an attendant present who takes care of the station, instructs the patient on usage, helps out when necessary and sanitizes all equipment and the station in between patients. The monitor connects patients to doctors over real-time high-definition videoconferencing with wireless technology.

The patient can either make an appointment online ahead of time, or simply walk in. The appointment starts as the patient logs in. The Care4 Station is equipped with a scale, a thermometer and a blood pressure cuff for taking vital signs. The patient is instructed on how to use the equipment and takes his/her own vital signs which are then sent directly to the doctor. All information, including patient videos, prescriptions, appointment scheduling and visit records are transmitted to the doctor and can be entered into the patient’s electronic health record as well

The doctor will converse with the patient over the telemonitor, ask questions, and instruct the patient on treatment. There are special devices in the station for various clinical examinations. For example, a remote stethoscope can be used to listen to the patient’s heart or lungs and a remote otoscope can be used to examine the ears.

Prescriptions can be e-prescribed and picked up at the counter of the pharmacy. Follow-up appointments can be made with the physician and the patient can return to the Care4 Station for these visits.

Currently, the price is set at about $60 per consultation. Insurance is not accepted presently, but HealthSpot has hopes that insurance companies will realize the value of the Care4 Station and accept insurance in the near future.

So far, the patients using the Care4 Station had extremely positive comments on the convenience and time-savings of the model. Over 95% of the patients would return to the station for subsequent appointments.

The potential for the Care4 Station is huge. It could be used in pharmacies, certainly, or in shopping malls instead of a walk-in clinic. It could be used in nursing homes, larger self-ensured employers, on construction sites, in the trucking industry, in clinics as an adjunct to face-to-face visits.

For patients, the benefits are convenience, less time spent on travel and waiting – doctor appointments when you want them. For doctors, the benefits are seeing more patients without the overhead and billing.